Lesson Learned, Painfully
by AmyD and Suisan
Summary: Set just after the Season Four episode, Robin Hood 4.5 , David learns a painful lesson about trust.


It was far too early in the morning to be thinking, let alone working but that was _exactly_ what F.B.I. Special Agent Colby Granger was doing. He peered around a stack of conveniently placed crates and eyed the two men standing on the Catalina Island Ferry dock, no more than fifty yards away.

"Look man, I'm telling you the truth. Why would I lie?" The man on the left, the C.I., Willie's voice crackled in Colby's ear, causing him to adjust the volume on the earpiece.

"Did I say you were lying?" The man on the right, Colby's partner, Agent David Sinclair replied.

"You didn't have to. It's just a feeling I got." Willie said.

"Wait, let me get this straight. I drag my ass out her at too damn early in the morning to hear what you gotta say, which so far is _not_ much, and at the end of all of it, you think I think you're lying because of a feeling? WTF, man? What are you smokin'?"

"Nothin', I swear." Willie said.

"Whatever. Is that all you got?"

"Nah."

Colby could only watch in horror as Willie struck David. He was on his feet and sprinting onto the dock as Willie dragged David to the railing and pushed him over. There was a resounding splash just as he reached Willie.

Colby threw a set of handcuffs at Willie along with the threat "Put 'em on and wait. You don't and I'll hunt you down." Then he was gone, leaping over the railing after David.

*************

The cold waters of the bay hit Colby like a slap when he landed, nearly taking his breath away. Treading water, he shook the hair out of his eyes and took a quick look around before sucking in a lungful of air and diving to hunt for David. The seawater stung his eyes, forcing him to close them. After a few moments of fruitless grasping, he had to return to the surface for another lungful of air. Twice more he dived, his frantic searching allowing his mind to focus on finding David and not on the fear clawing at his soul. He dove again, blindly reaching out, praying for help, then his fingers brushed against something. He grabbed it, then kick upwards, his lungs starting to burn. He broke the surface and nearly wept when he saw David limp in his arms.

The shore wasn't far away so Colby reached it quickly. When his feet touched the sand, he shifted around and pulled David over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, hoping that would force the water from David's lungs. It did. As Colby staggered from the water, David started to cough up water, right down Colby's back. A few feet on shore and Colby dropped to his knees, gently lowering David to the sand.

A cold, hard knot of fear took up residence in his chest when he felt for David's pulse but couldn't find one. "Man, I just hauled your ass outta the bay and let you hack water all down my back. Do NOT make me have to perform CPR on you."

Checking again, he felt a pulse flutter against his fingers and noticed, finally, that David was, sort of, breathing on his own. He rolled David on his side and was quickly rewarded with his partner coughing up more water and the blessed sound of David breathing like an emphysemic walrus.

"Thank you." Colby said more to himself. A cool breeze blew in from the bay making his teeth chatter. David moaned and coughed up more water. One glance around the area told Colby all he needed to know. If he was going to get help for David, he would have to get them back to the car. Both his and David's cell phones were trashed after their dip in the bay and it was too early for anyone else to be around. The radio in the car was his only shot.

Colby scooped David up into a fireman's carry for the trip back to the car. He staggered to his feet and muttered "Man, David, you gotta cut out those donuts."

He reached the car, opened the passenger side door and lowered David into the passenger seat, then leaned across him and radioed for help. David made some kind of gurgling noise, prompting Colby drop the radio just in time to keep David from coughing up more water in the car.

"Don't barf in my car, man." Colby said, attempting to lighten a grim situation.

A stiff breeze blew in off the bay, making Colby's teeth chatter more. One other good thing about getting David in the car was that he was out of the wind.

Colby gently tapped David on the cheek. "David? Come on man, wake up. Look at me."

David groaned in response.

"Come on, wake up, look at me. I know you can hear me. Open your eyes."

David's head moved from side to side like he was trying to wake up but wasn't quite able to do so.

"Come on...." Colby cajoled his partner, the longer it took to rouse David, the worse he would be medically.

In the not too far distance, Colby heard the blessed sounds of a siren. _Thank you_. He was still working on getting David to open his eyes when both an ambulance and a black and white stopped behind his Charger.

The police reached Colby first and he sent them up on the pier. "There should be a guy on the pier in handcuffs, his name is Willie." Colby told the first cop.

"Should be?" The cop asked.

"Yeah, I told him if he didn't wait, I'd hunt him down." Colby smiled.

The cop chuckled, pointed at the pier and told his partner, "Idiot child's up there."

When the paramedics came up to Colby, he briefed them on what had happened, which sent the second, younger, paramedic back to the ambulance to get the gurney.

"And a blanket for this one." The older paramedic yelled.

The older paramedic, his name tag read, J. Thorp, crouched down next to David, checking to see what he had to work with.

"How long was he in the water?" He asked.

With chattering teeth, Colby said "2 to 3 minutes."

The younger paramedic reappeared with the gurney and a space blanket on it, which he handed to Colby.

"How much water did he cough up?" Thorp asked.

"About a half a cup." Colby unwrapped the space blanket and wrapped himself in it and felt a little better. "He hacked up some more before I got him back to the car and then a little bit more just as I was calling for help."

"But he hasn't come around at all?" Thorp thumbed open David's eyes one by one and shown a pen light in each one. "Pupils appear to normal."

Colby heaved a silent sigh of relief, no serious head injuries so far.

"No. I was trying to when you all showed up."

Thorp looked at the younger paramedic. "Let's get him on the gurney."

Colby moved out of the way and allowed the two men to work. Very carefully, they lowered David's limp body from the car seat onto the gurney.

Colby thought he'd be sick. _Why didn't I go with him?_

"What's his name?" Thorp asked.

"David Sinclair."

Colby fixed his attention on Thorp and away from David for a moment but in that moment, David woke up. There was a startled noise from the younger medic at the head of the gurney, bringing Colby's attention back to his partner. He couldn't help but smile a little. David was awake, finally, thrashing around but awake.

"Hey, hey..." Thorp said to David. "Relax, man, just relax."

But David was not about to relax, that is, not until Colby came into his line of vision.

Crouching down next to the gurney, Colby put his hands on David's shoulders. "David, relax, you're going to be okay. Don't try and fight it. Just relax."

David's eyes fixed on Colby and he seemed to be trying to say something but nothing was coming out. He did, however, stop trying to move and allowed himself to belted onto the gurney. "Colby?" He finally managed to say before being wheeled away.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you soaking wet?"

That got a laugh from Colby. "Long story, I'll tell you later. Now, don't you give Thorp and his partner, a hard time. Let 'em do their job. I'll see you at the ER, okay?"

David gave a weak nod and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Thorp gave Colby the name of the hospital and then left with his patient. A few moments later, the ambulance was gone in a roar of diesel and sirens.

Colby debated whether or not to follow the cops. He looked after the departing ambulance, sighed and went up on the pier to join the cops. Willie was right where Colby had left him, seated on the ground, hands cuffed in front of him. He saw Colby and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You can't say that I ran. I waited, like you said." He looked up at the two cops standing next to him. "I wouldn't let these guys move me either."

"Shows you got a brain in there somewhere then. Now, you're going to go with these two policemen and you will cooperate with them**. **You don't and I'll slap more charges on your ass."

Willie nodded and allowed the two cops to pull him to his feet.

"You want us to take him to city lock up or to your federal one?" The first cop asked.

"Federal. Thanks." Colby replied.

He took a step closer to Willie and said in a low tone, "My partner dies and there won't be a hole small enough for you to hide in, got that?"

Willie turned ashen, swallowed and nodded. He allowed the two police men to lead him off the dock with Colby following after them.

When the uniforms reached Colby's Charger, the more senior of the two officers stayed with him for a minute. "I'll swing by the Fed Building later to grab your statement, Agent.....?"

"Granger. Colby Granger. Thanks, Officer..." Colby looked at the name badge. "Excuse me, Sgt. Polk."

"No problem, Granger. Just keep me updated about your partner. Willie Borden's been a pain in the whole city's tuckus for quite some time now . . . would be nice to see him stuffed away on federal charges for a while, but not at the expense of a fellow LEO."

Colby nodded. "Will do, Sergeant."

In a few moments, Colby was back in the car, starting the engine and cranking up the heat. DAMN, he was cold.

*******************

Even adding in the time his conversation with the cops, Colby still arrived at the hospital a mere fifteen minutes behind David. He parked the Charger as close as he could to the entrance and squished his way towards the ER. His clothes had dried some, enough to where he wasn't dripping wet any more, but that was all.

A blast of cold air greet Colby when he walked through the sliding doors, sending a shiver racing up his spine. Putting aside the momentary discomfort his wet clothes brought, Colby made his way to the admitting desk and ided himself to the aide.

"All right, Agent Granger, if you'll wait just a moment, someone will be out to see you." The aide said.

Colby nodded as another violent shiver raced across his body. He blinked and firmly put from his mind the image of David being loaded on the gurney. Instead, he contemplated just what he would say to Don, already accepting whatever punishment his boss would mete out.

"Agent Granger?" A nurse in maroon scrubs came out into the waiting area.

Colby nodded.

"If you'll come with me, we'll get you checked out right away."

He looked around the mostly empty waiting room, then followed the nurse. "I don't need to be checked out. I'm fine. How's my partner?" He asked, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

The nurse smiled and stopped at a curtained cubicle. "Humor us, Agent Granger. The doctor will be along shortly."

Another nod from Colby. Another shiver. He sat down on the edge of the gurney and waited.

As Colby sat there waiting for the doctor, he was mentally beating himself up. _Why didn't I insist on going with him? I could have. Why didn't I?_

"Relax, Colby." David told him. "I trust you." It was that last sentence that kept Colby from going with David.

_Crap, what the hell am I going to tell Don? Um...Sorry Don, maybe you should've split us up. I almost got David killed. Sorry about that._ Colby's mood and thoughts grew darker with each passing moment.

The curtain parted and an older man dressed in ceil blue scrubs walked in. He had bright blonde hair and tanned skin, like he had spent a large part of his time outdoors. He looked down at the chart in his hands, then up at Colby. One look at the shivering, teeth chattering man in front of him and the doctor leaned back out of the cubicle. "Katie! I need a blanket and some..." He glanced back at Colby. "large scrubs!"

A faint 'Yes, doctor' could be heard. He pulled his head back in and looked at Colby again. "Agent Granger, I'm Dr. J.D. Simpson. Went for a dip in the bay today, hmm?"

Colby nodded. "Not by choice, doc."

"No, you certainly didn't. Tell you what, let me do what I need to do and I'll get you whatever information I can about your partner ASAP, deal?"

Colby nodded.

A nurse appeared with a blanket, scrubs and a plastic bag. She handed them to the doctor and disappeared. Dr. Simpson handed them to Colby. "Change clothes Agent, I'll be back in a moment."

"Um...Dr. Simpson?" Colby asked.

Dr. Simpson looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Agent Granger?"

"I need to secure Agent Sinclair's weapon and credentials."

Dr. Simpson nodded. "I'll get those to you. Change."

A few minutes later, Colby was starting to feel slightly more human in dry clothes with the warming blanket wrapped around him. Dr. Simpson reappeared and put a plastic bag on the gurney next to Colby.

"Your partner's clothes, weapon and credentials are in there." He said.

Colby looked at the bag, then back at Dr. Simpson. "Thanks."

"Not a problem." Dr. Simpson replied.

The exam did not take long. Dr. Simpson checked to make sure Colby hadn't inhaled any sea water himself, checked his ear drums for fluid, then checked his overall health. When the doctor was finished, he draped his stethoscope around his neck and grinned.

"Damn, you're healthier than an Army mule, Agent. The cultures on your ear water should be back before too long but, I'll tell you right now, it just looked like plain ol' seawater, not a green tinged fluid."

Colby allowed himself a smile. "I'll assume that green is bad, right?"

"Yes, green is bad . . . whether its sea water with algae blooming in it or if it's sinus snot. Green is Bad."

"Okay. I behaved. Now, about my partner?"

"He's going to be all right - once we get him over his double pneumonia."

Colby's eyebrows went up. "Double pneumonia?"

"Well, yeah. Any fluids in the ol' air sacks is considered to be pneumonia and he got both lungs wet. Dry lungs are TONS better than wet lungs."

Colby nodded. "So, he's awake and talking and everything?"

"Awake, talking and threatening to go AMA . . . or he was." Simpson's smile turned down right evil. "Until I snuck a sedative into his IV when he was distracted by a rather lovely Lab Tech."

Colby couldn't help but grin. "That is low down, doc."

"Yeah, well, I was even more sneaky while treating troops in the Army. Damn grunts. Too damn Macho to know when the hell to listen to their own damn bodies and let the medics treat them."

Colby flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet but did not reply.

Dr. Simpson grinned like a lunatic. "Gotcha! You _ARE_ former Army, aren't you, Agent?"

Colby nodded.

"Thought so. There's just something about how Army men carry themselves...." He looked up when a nurse entered the exam room and handed him a sheet of paper. "Ah, your labs are back. Hmm......"

"Yeah? Anything green?" Colby asked.

"Nope. All clear, no nasties hiding behind the drums." He stood up from the rolling three-legged stool he'd been sitting in. "Keep the scrubs, Agent. Your partner is in Exam Room Eight, feel free to check on him yourself, but he's probably in La-la land by now."

Another nod. "One more thing, doc?"

"Sure."

"I need to find a phone to call our boss. Our cells got trashed after that dip in the bay."

Doc Simpson nodded then gestured for Colby to follow him. Once out at the nurses' station, he pointed down a long hallway - not easily visible from the treatment rooms. "Door on the left leads into the physician's Lounge, there's a phone in there and - right now - there are no other docs on duty but me and, I've got a full plate for at least another 30 minutes. Feel free to use it for whatever."

He handed Colby's chart over to a nurse, who merely handed him another and pointed to another exam room.

"Thanks, Dr. Simpson." Colby said.

"You're welcome, Agent Granger." Dr. Simpson replied.

**********************

Don had barely cleared the sectional divider for the Major Crimes division when he heard Megan on the phone and sighed. A phone call that early in the morning could only mean one of two things, a break in a case or someone, most likely on his team, was in trouble. As he got closer to Megan and heard her end of the conversation, he knew it was the latter.

"But you're okay?" Megan asked. A moment later, she looked up and saw Don. "He just walked in…Okay, okay, we're headed out right now. See you in a few." She hung up the phone and smiled at Don. "Morning, boss."

Don frowned in response. "It's not even 7:30 in the morning. Can't those two keep out of trouble until I can, at least, get my morning coffee?"

"You're not supposed to be drinking coffee this early in the morning." Megan said. "As for our trouble magnets? Never, but this time, it's only David in the ER not both of them."

"What happened?" Don perched on the edge of Megan's desk.

"I'll brief you on the way. They're at Costal Communities Hospital in Santa Ana, near the Catalina Island Ferry stop in Newport Beach." She eyed Don. "Do you want to drive or should I?"

"I can drive fine, thank you." He replied.

Megan nodded, grabbed up her light-weight jacket and a small duffle bag from under Colby's desk. She paused for a few moments to look for a similar bag at David's desk. "Damn, he must have forgotten to bring his emergency clothes bag back in. Oh, well. If he has to wear scrubs, it's his own damn fault."

That got a small chuckle from Don. "That's just mean, Megan."

"Yeah, well, both of them need a change of clothes because…" She shook her head. "I said I'd brief you in the car. Let's get going before ADA Wright finds out a member of our team is racking up hospital points…again."

Don led the way to the elevator, punching the call button. "Yeah, this is _not_ how to get on your boss' good side."

"I don't know what to do with the three of you." Megan said. "At the rate you all go through hospital visits…" She shook her head. "I'd better shut up. Karmatic justice would demand that if I bad mouth the three of you, that when it's my turn, it'll be absolutely horrendous."

"Don't even kid, please. My father would have my head on a plate if something happened to you." Don replied. The elevator arrived and he held the doors open for her before stepping onto elevator himself.

The ride to the garage was silent and Megan, wisely, waited until they had gotten into the flow of traffic on Wilshire Boulevard before starting her briefing.

"The long and the short of it, is this: a meeting with a C.I. on a pier went haywire. Somehow David ended up going over the railing into the water. Colby didn't exactly say how other than to tell me 'the reason was taken care of' and that he got David back to shore without too much difficulty."

Don nodded. "Does he know what David's condition is now?"

Megan thought a moment, then said "Sort of. The doctor who checked him out, had also seen David. Says the doc told him that David was working on a fine case of pneumonia and was threatening to leave AMA until the doc slipped a sedative into the I.V."

That got a snort. "Never thought I'd say this but maybe David's been hanging around me too long….I don't know," He said, more to himself than Megan. "maybe it wasn't such a good idea pairing Colby and David again. Not after what happened."

"Don't say that." Megan told him. "They're working through a rough patch, they'll get over it." She smiled, shaking her head as she did so, hoping Don wouldn't misinterpret her actions. "This incident, whatever happened, will either heal the breach between them or totally wreck it."

Don shot her a quick look. "You think so?"

"Pretty sure. Make you a deal…"

"Yeah? What kind of deal?"

"Well, it'll depend on whether David's awake or not, but when we get to the hospital, you corner David and see how he's doing while I go find Colby and debrief him. Full disclosure afterwards."

Don almost smiled. "Deal. Then what?"

"If it looks like a hopeless case for the two former bestest buds…I'll tell you and help Colby find a compatible assignment somewhere else in California or even out of the Salt Lake City office if he wants to be closer to home." Megan replied.

Don stopped at a stop light and looked at her. "You'd do that?"

"Yeah, I would." She sighed and, chin in hand, looked out the passenger side window, studying the few pedestrians on the sidewalk. "It's not fair to Colby, he was only doing what he'd been asked to do and he did it well, but if David can't get over his snit…then yeah, I'll help Colby find a new office and assignment."

Don reached over and gently grabbed Megan by the shoulder. "You tell anyone I said this and I'll deny it but you are worth your weight in gold."

"Nice to know. The light's green."

He looked back, saw she was right and said "Funny." He put the SUV in gear and pulled through the intersection.

*********************

Colby hung up the phone and left the physicians lounge, padding back down the hallway to the treatment rooms, the bags of his and David's clothes in each hand, looking for Room Number Eight, the room Dr. Simpson said David was in. Finding the right room, he started to push the door open but hesitated. After a moment, he was able to shove his doubts aside, push the door open and walk inside. Just as Dr. Simpson had said, David was fast asleep, under a mountain of blankets.

He stood next to the bed, watching David sleep, just as David had watched him sleep when he had been recovering or so he had been told. Colby didn't remember. He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. There was a lot he didn't remember. He still had huge holes in his memory but David's reaction to discovering that he, Colby, was a traitor was crystal clear. He had been so mad. And then afterwards, after the rescue and everything, David hadn't even wanted to be in the same room with him.

Colby crossed his arms then let his arms fall to his sides. There had been some small glimpses of hope recently. Things had been returning to normal, especially after that 'Robin Hood' case. He sighed and shook his head. Maybe he should've taken the Director up on his offer of being an independent investigator. The curtain around the cubicle parted and a nurse came in, breaking Colby's reverie. If she was surprised to see him, she did not show it.

He swallowed and said, "Dr. Simpson said I could check on my partner."

The nurse smiled and nodded. "He's not going anywhere because of you."

Colby flushed in embarrassment.

"And while I don't like to separate partners unnecessarily, you would do better to wait out in the waiting room. We still have a few more tests to run on your buddy here." The nurse said, giving Colby 'the eye'.

He took the hint. "Yes, ma'am." He cast one last look at David and left the cubicle.

********************

Even with the dry clothes, Colby felt better, warmer anyway, outside of the ER. He rescued his credentials and weapon from the plastic bag holding his clothes before locking his and David's clothes in the trunk of the Charger. His credentials and wallet went into one pocket. A quick conversation with a paramedic provided the accoutrements needed to keep his weapon close while in the scrubs. When all that was done, Colby settled onto a bench and waited, the mild morning and brilliant sunshine lost on him and his gloomy thoughts.

About twenty minutes later, he spied a dark Suburban pulling into the parking lot and watched as it parked and Don and Megan got out, a duffle bag in her hands. He sighed and stood. If he was very lucky, Don wouldn't rip his head off immediately.

Don reached Colby first. He gave the younger man the once over and then asked. "You okay?"

Colby nodded.

"All right. Megan's got your clothes. I'm going to check on David."

Another nod. "The doctor's name is Simpson."

"Okay, thanks." Don turned and disappeared through the sliding doors of the ER.

Colby eyed Megan. "He's pretty ticked, isn't he?"

She smiled. "He started off annoyed but simmered down to a nice concern by the time we got here." She paused. "How are you?"

He shrugged, rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and mumbled "Wondering why I'm here."

"Hey, come on now, you know why you're here."

Colby shook his head. "That's not what I mean Megs. Why did I come back to Southern California? Why did I think that I could come back to what I never had in the first place?"

It was Megan who sighed that time. "You know the answer to those questions. You also know that without you, David wouldn't be here."

"Really? You think so? If it hadn't been me there, it would have been someone else."

Megan snorted. "Don't be so sure." She looked down at the bag in her hands. "Here, go change. We'll talk afterwards." She handed him the bag.

******************

Don had just finished debriefing Colby when an older woman wearing a blue smock, khakis and hospital nametag came over to them.

"Are you with Agent Sinclair?" She asked.

"Yes, we are." Don said.

She looked down at the clipboard in her hands. "He's been taken up to Room #403. You can go up now if you like."

"Thank you." Don said.

She nodded and walked away.

All three agents stood with Don clasping Colby on the shoulder as they walked to the elevator bank. "I didn't even get my coffee this morning because of you two."

Colby didn't quite smile. "I'll get you some on the way back."

"You most certainly will and none of that cheap stuff either." Don replied, pushing the elevator call button.

The elevator ride was brief and, shortly, they were walking into David's room. He was awake, for the most part. Blankets were pulled up almost to his chin with his left arm sticking out, an I.V. having been started in that arm. He blinked, staring blearily at the three when they came in.

"I can't let you or Colby out of my sight for a moment, can I?" Don asked David, gently teasing the younger man.

David blinked and swallowed. "Yeah, well, what can I…say? What time is it?"

"Fifteen to eleven." Megan said.

"'Kay." David's eyes moved past Megan and Don before finding the person he was looking for. "Colby?"

"Yeah?" Colby stepped around Don so David could see him.

David smiled, blinked and yawned. "I was wonderin' where you were."

Colby smiled in return. "Where else would I be?"

That got a lopsided smile. "You got a way of blending in."

Colby flushed but did not reply.

Small talk filled the next few minutes until Don touched Megan on the arm.

"Why don't you head back to the office? I'll catch a ride back with Colby."

Megan eyed Don but nodded. "You, mister," she pointed at David, "don't be giving the nurses a hard time. Understand?"

He nodded and coughed. She squeezed his foot under the blanket and left.

"You keep what Megan says in mind." Don said to David. "I've been through pneumonia, it ain't fun."

David started to say something but started to cough. When he didn't stop immediately, Don and Colby exchanged glances but either one could do or say anything, David gave out one last cough, then slumped back against the pillows.

"Man," he grumbled, "this sucks."

"Could be worse, you could've been like me and gotten slapped into quarantine."

"Thank God for small favors." David muttered, yawning.

"On that note, we'll be going, before you give it to one of us." Don told him. "We'll be back later."

David nodded. Before he could say anything else, they were gone, leaving him alone with just his thoughts for company.

*******************

The trip from Santa Ana, back to Los Angeles was, according to MapQuest, 32.43 miles and would take, roughly, 40 minutes. Don drove letting Colby sit and stew. Sooner or later, he knew the silence would get to the younger man. He was right. Colby lasted a whole 15 minutes.

"Look, Don…you really need to know…" Colby started to say.

"Colby?" Don said, cutting him off. "What did I tell you in the waiting room just now?"

Colby blinked. "Um…you said that if you hadn't wanted me back on the team, I wouldn't be."

"That's right. That's all you need to remember, okay?"

"Okay, but…"

"Colby…."

Colby caught the warning tone in Don's voice and shut up for the rest of the ride.

**********************

"Hey, Charlie, wanted to give you a heads up about a little incident here at work --- first off, it's not Don. He's okay. Well, he will be. Once he gets over being pissed at David and Colby - for two very different reasons." Megan said.

"Umm...really? What happened? Or rather, what happened this time?" Charlie asked, balancing his cell phone while unlocking his office at the same time.

"Not a hundred percent sure of that myself - yet. I know Don's on the way back here with Colby and David's sitting pretty in a hospital room with a severe case of nearly-drowned pneumonia. Oh, and the guy who tossed David into the water? He's sitting in an interrogation room right now."

Charlie managed to not drop both the phone and the books in his hand but only just barely. "What?! Is David going to be all right?"

"Eventually. The staff has him on IV Antibiotics and enforced bed rest for today and tonight. Then he'll probably be on medical leave for a week while he gets rid of the pneumonia."

Charlie kicked the door shut and dropped the books on the nearest flat surface. "Where exactly is he?"

Megan smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see her. He was responding exactly as she'd hoped he would before she made the phone call. "He's at Costal Community Hospital in Santa Ana, Room 403 and, Charlie? You've been cleared to see him, as has the rest of the CalSci group and Alan."

"Great! So, why is Don pissed at David and Colby?"

"Let's just say that he's not getting the full story from either one of them and _that_ is probably why he's being.... pissy."

Charlie snorted. "Yeah, that would do it." He looked down at his watch. "It's not even noon. What the hell happened and when?"

"Again, I'm not fully sure of this but ... David and Colby were supposed to meet with a CI - you know what that means, right?"

"Um...a snitch?"

"Yes. Anyway, they met with the CI bright and early this morning and something, we're still not sure what, may have spooked the CI into knocking David over the head and tossing him into the Bay." She looked up to see Liz Warner coming to the bullpen and nodded a greeting. "Anyway, Colby said something to the snitch, tossed a set of cuffs his way, then went diving after David and hauled him out of the bay. LAPD had a hell of a time getting the CI to even MOVE when they arrived. Granger scared the piss out of him or something like that. He had come up on the dock and tell the guy he could move."

Charlie started to laugh and sat down in his office chair. "He must've. Wow. Never dull were you guys are, huh?"

"I could use a little dullness for a while." Megan motioned for Liz to wait for a second. "Charlie, I have to go. The team that's going to take over this case from us is here and I need to brief them. You going to try to get out to see David?"

"Absolutely. Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it. Bye."

~*~*~*~*~

*Knock, knock* Charlie rapped on the open door. "What's this I hear about you taking an unscheduled dip in the bay?" He asked, walking into the room.

David looked over at the door, his face lighting up at the sound of the familiar voice. "Charlie? What are you doing down here?"

"A phone call told me what had happened." Charlie looked at his watch. "Man, it's only just noon. What are you FedEx?"

That got a laugh from David which turned into a cough which had Charlie looking for the call button but David waved him off after a moment. "Don't make me laugh, it hurts when I cough." He grimaced and swallowed.

"Well, next time try not to get tossed off a pier or whatever it was you were on." Charlie snagged the closest chair and sat down. "I have a very hard time believing that someone got the better of you. The probability of that happening is nil."

David swallowed again. "Professor, Charlie, this time you would be wrong because that's exactly what happened. I wasn't paying attention like I should've been."

Charlie nodded, then silence descended in the room. After a few moments, he added "You weren't by yourself, were you?"

David shook his head, then winced slightly. "No."

Charlie frowned as realization dawned. "Wait...you were out there with Colby, wasn't he on the pier with you? Or he did sucker punch him too?"

"No and no." David replied.

"So...where was Colby? Why wasn't he on the pier with you?" Charlie's confusion reflecting in his tone and the look on his face.

David rubbed the side of face, then looked down at the blanket covering his legs. "'Cause I didn't want him out there."

"What?! You didn't want him out there? Why the hell not?"

David could not bring himself to look at Charlie so he shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." He looked at Charlie. "I still don't know if I can trust him."

Charlie repeated David's words silently, once, then twice but the frown did not leave his face. "So, you figured that...it would be...WHAT?!"

"How do I know if I can trust him?" David scowled. "He comes back and it's supposed to be like nothing happened? Two years, Charlie! I'm just supposed to forget two years?"

"Uh...well, no but...you can save the man's life but you can't trust him to watch your back? Do you know how strange that sounds?"

David shrugged again but did not reply.

"What about now, David? Now that he's returned the favor, so to speak? Think you can trust him now?"

David nodded.

"Good, so nice to know that all it takes to regain your trust is to save your life." Charlie said, not intending to sound quite so sarcastic.

David glared at Charlie. "What the hell was I supposed to think? Huh? You wanna tell me that, genius?"

Instead of shrinking from the glare, Charlie returned the glare and said "How about giving him the benefit of the doubt? Hmm? Just like you did on the freighter."

David blinked.

"You think I don't know what happened out there?" Charlie snorted. "I know a hell of a lot more than you all THINK I do."

David looked at him, unable to say anything.

"Everyone thinks 'Oh, just let the genius alone with his chalk boards and his chalk.' But what they fail to realize is that THIS genius has contacts that the federal government would KILL for." Charlie smiled a very disturbing smile. "Trust me, I know how you reacted when you went into the room on the freighter and spotted Colby, slumped over and dead-looking, not to mention bound to a chair. You didn't stop to think about anything like 'Gee, should I trust him or not?' You just reacted. Just like he did for you this morning. Try to tell me that's not what happened."

David opened his mouth to say something, anything but couldn't.

"And I also happen to know that you sat with him overnight at least once while he was recovering, so don't tell me this is a matter of trust, because it's not. You're just pissed and you want to stay pissed because it's easier than having to deal with whatever else is going on in your head."

David blinked. "Um...Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"You got a PhD in Psychology too?"

Charlie snorted. "No. I've got way too many sessions with way too many shrinks under my belt. I've also got the King of Denial for a brother."

David almost smiled. "I don't know, Charlie. What you say makes total sense but some how it's not processing up here." He tapped the side of his head.

"Yeah, well, quit thinking with your head and just listen to your gut."

David gave Charlie a good long look. "Your brother have any idea as to exactly how much you've seen and know?"

"No ... and he's not going to know." Charlie replied.

David held up his hands in surrender. "He's not hearing it from me."

"David, my brother is already having a fit because of my consulting with the FBI. He's my big brother and he wants to protect me from harm. If he knew the extent of my knowledge, I'd never make it out of the house. Hell, I'd never make it out of my bedroom."

That got another laugh from David, that, fortunately, did not turn into a coughing fit.

"I can tell you for a fact that Don would not have allowed Colby back on the team if he felt that he, personally, couldn't trust Colby. If he can, you can. Trust me on this. Also take into consideration the seven kinds of HELL he went through because of Colby's undercover mess."

"Well, yeah, I know that."

"And what Colby himself, hmm? The mole wound up killing him because he did his job a little too well. How do you think THAT weighs on a person? What do you think was going through HIS head when he came back into the building that first day back? You think he didn't want to just run away and never come back? He could've cheerfully stayed in Idaho for the rest of his career. He was given the pick of assignments any where he wanted, any where on the globe and what does he do?"

"He came back to L.A." David said, softly.

"And why did he do that?" Charlie asked the obvious question. "So he could get guilt dumped on him by you? WTF David?"

The other man sighed. "You're scary when you're like this, you know that?"

"Yeah, well...I'm not some little geek that needs to be kept in a corner and out of harm's way. I'm grown man, a respected mathematician and consultant with a half dozen federal agencies. I'm not a child. Sometimes I gotta remind people of that."

"You reminded me." David held up one hand. "As God is my witness, I am NEVER going to cross you again, ever."

Charlie smiled. "I'd settle for you getting over yourself and giving Colby the benefit of the doubt. Okay?"

David nodded. "Okay, okay."

"Good. Because I've run out of cans of whip ass to open." Charlie said, with a totally straight face.

David went off into peals of laughter. When he finally managed to catch a breath, he said "It's whoop-ass, Charlie, not whip ass."

Charlie colored. "Whatever, you get my point."

David coughed but nodded.

"Good." Charlie reached into his bag and brought out a small box. "I've brought something to help you pass the time." He opened it and set it on the rolling table. "You need help with chess, no?"

David looked at the travel chess set, then at Charlie. "You just read my mind, again."

***********************

The next two and a half hours passed quickly with Charlie and David talking and playing chess. Then, as Charlie was setting up the chess board for a second round, his messenger bag started playing "New Math". David openly gawked as Charlie dug into the bag, pulling his cell phone free.

"Hello?" Charlie said.

"Charlie, it's Amita, are you still down at the hospital with David? Is he all right?"

Charlie nodded, then mouthed 'It's Amita.' to David.

"Yeah. He'll be fine. What's going on?"

"The reception for Cal Sci's candidates for the Abel Award is at 7, tonight."

Charlie made a face, then sighed. "I totally forgot about it."

"Well, if you're not there, you can forget about Millie indulging your latest whim."

Charlie made a face and got a snicker from David. "Point taken, I'm on my way. Bye." He hung up the phone, then explained the conversation to David.

"Oh, right. Time to play James Bond, hmm? I bet Amita thinks you look hot in a tux." David offered.

"Dunno. She's never said one way or another. But I caught a glimpse of the beaded number she bought for this affair and I am NOT missing seeing her in it." Charlie thought about packing up the travel-chess set, then shrugged. "I'll just leave that here. Maybe you'll find another partner who'll be willing to pick up where we left off."

David shrugged. "Maybe. Thanks for coming down. Really."

Charlie's phone trilled again. "Yellow? Oh, right, sorry about that." He handed the phone to David. "Amita. She won't believe you're on the mend until she hears it from you."

David grinned and took the phone from Charlie. "Amita, I am going to be fine. I swear...No, you don't have to come, not right now. I wouldn't want to keep you two from your reception...Amita, come on...All right, yeah, I'm not going anywhere, unfortunately....Okay, yeah, sounds good...see you tomorrow....bye."

David handed the phone back to Charlie. "Remind me not to get on her bad side either."

Charlie pocketed the phone with a shrug. "As long as I remember that too, I'm good. Gotta go. See you tomorrow and remember what I said, okay?"

"I'll do that, and you gave me plenty to think about too."

With a wave, Charlie was out the door and gone.

****************

Colby managed to make it back down to the hospital to see David just after 7 p.m. After a wicked day at work and the traffic from Hell most of the way from Los Angeles to Santa Ana, he was happy to finally have the relative peace and quiet of the hospital.

When he showed his id to one of the nurses on duty, she nodded and pointed out David's room. "But be warned Agent, I think the antibiotics have finally gotten the better of him and he's asleep."

"That's okay but thanks for telling me." Colby replied.

The nurse was right. David was out like a light. No matter. Colby had brought a couple of case files with him. He noticed a travel chess set on the rolling table. Someone else had been down here to see David. _Probably Charlie_.

He settled into the chair, spread the file out on his lap and started to make notes. No one but no one was getting by him to harass _his_ partner.

Two and a half hours later, the same nurse that Colby had spoken to earlier, walked into David's room. "All right, time to go, visiting hours are over."

Colby closed the file and looked up at her, "Can you make exceptions for family members?"

The nurse quirked an eyebrow. "This I gotta hear."

"It's true, Ma'am. I know we don't look it, but we're brothers. I can call my father up in Idaho if you want to hear it direct from him?" Colby offered even as he pulled his cell phone out, flipped it open and prepared to hit the speed-dial.

The nurse's lips twitched, almost as if she was about to tell him to call, instead she said "What are you? LAPD? LASO? CBI? FBI?"

Colby smiled. "FBI. Does it show?"

She smiled in return. "Yes, it does. All LEO's are the same. Look, your partner's not going anywhere. I know you want to stay but it'd be better if you didn't. For starters, that chair will kill your back."

"Too late." He winced as he stood up and made his excuses to his partner. "David, don't give the night shift a hard time and I'll be back to see you before I head into the office tomorrow."

She patted him on the shoulder. "See? Go home, get some rest of your own and then come back."

He nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

She nodded. "You're welcome but don't think you're going to sneak back in at some ridiculous hour of the morning. Visiting hours start at eight."

Colby flushed, embarrassed at having been read so easily. "Yes, ma'am."

********************

The sun had been up for only a couple of hours when, once again, Colby was headed down the hallway to David's room. He poked his head around the open door and raped on the frame.

"You up, David?" He asked.

"Yeah, get in here. You got my clothes?"

"No. They're not letting you go just yet."

"Howinthehell do you know that already?" David sounded downright peevish, even to his own ears.

Colby chuckled. "Because I've spent way too much time in hospitals recently. Relax, they'll let you out sooner or later. They don't want you scaring the other patients."

"I don't want to be here. I want this damn thing," he raised the arm with the IV line attached up, "out of my body and I want to go find Willie and beat him senseless. Ya know?"

"So, you'd rather go through pneumonia? Don tells me it's not a picnic."

"I'm not that damn sick. And Willie . . . he needs a severe Sinclair ass-kicking."

Colby chuckled. "I agree about Willie but unless you keep that in," He pointed at David's arm. "you will be."

"So, how far did little Willie run after he clocked me?"

Colby grinned a truly evil grin. "He didn't. After he dumped you over the side, I put the fear of Granger into him. Tossed him a pair of handcuffs, told him to put them on and wait. If he didn't, I was going to track him down."

"And he stayed?"

Colby nodded. "After the 'bus you were in left, I went up on the dock to see if LAPD needed any help. Good thing I showed, they were having a devil of a time getting him to come with them. He kept telling them 'But that fed told me to stay here...'"

David chuckled again, until the laughter suddenly switched over to a deep hacking cough. He then groaned and dropped his head back on the pillow. "Oh, man . . . that hurts. I just hope Don and Megan left something for you to chew on."

Colby gave him a sad smile but said nothing.

David sensing the change in Colby's mood, frowned and said "Get your bad self out of that damn funk, before I kick it out of you!"

"Yeah? You and what army patrol, sickie?"

David laughed, which got him coughing again. When he was able to take a breath, he said "Why use the Army, I'll borrow a couple of Marines!"

"Better be some seriously trained Recon Marines . . . the rest are no match for what I can do to a person."

David grinned. "Nothing but the best. Come here." He waved him over to the bed.

Colby approached, a little wary of the look on David's face. When he was close enough, David slapped him in the back of the head.

"Hey!" Colby rubbed the back of his skull, wishing he hadn't cut his hair recently and had had more padding. "What the hell?"

"That's for being a dumb ass and doubting yourself." David said.

"It's not that . . . I almost told you 'to hell with your idea' and followed you out onto the pier. If I had done that, you wouldn't be in here."

David considered what Colby said, nodded and said "When I was in college, I had a prof who said 'If, when things go wrong, you sit there and say 'if I had...', you will get nowhere in life. 'If I had...' is for losers." He looked at Colby. "You're a lot of things, Granger...a loser ain't one of them."

Colby looked around, spotted a nearby stool and pulled it close with his foot before sitting down. "You sure about that, Sinclair?"

David rolled his eyes. "Do I gotta slap you upside the head again? I didn't hit you hard enough?"

"No... but tell me--" He looked directly at David. "Did you really think I could ever really turn traitor?"

It was David's turn to look away. He didn't answer for a long time. When he looked back at Colby, he said "No, that's why it came as such a shock, I couldn't believe it but there was all the evidence..." He shrugged. "I ignored the little voice saying that you'd never do such a thing and focused on the anger. If I focused on the anger, I didn't have to think about...." He didn't finish the sentence.

"How I screwed over our friendship for no good reason?"

David nodded.

Colby let out a long, soft sigh. "David...there were more things about my assignment that I regretted than I can count. However, numero uno on the list? Not being able to tell you what I was doing and why. I understood why I couldn't tell the team, but I wanted to talk to and tell my friend---"

"But you couldn't? And I wasn't helping matters much either."

"You didn't make it easy, no."

David nodded, then a glimmer of smile ghosted across his face. "You know, I, apparently, worked myself into such a snit, that when you were recovering, Don practically drop kicked my ass into Dr. Bradford's office."

"Really?"

Another nod from David. "Don tracked me down in the gym and, basically said, either I deal with this or go find another job."

"Sounds like what Mom did to me when I went home afterwards."

David chuckled. "Tag team ass kicking. Should be an Olympic sport."

"According to Mom, it is. It's just not officially recognized."

"O...kay, I'm not going to argue with your mother. She can be kinda scary."

"Tell me about it, she actually tried to set me up on dates with old flames who were 'available' while I was home."

David started to laugh. "Hey, in that regard, she's relentless. She wants grandbabies and she wants them now!"

"Yeah, well.... it ain't going to happen by accident."

The two men looked at each other for a long moment neither saying a word. It was David who broke the silence. "Colby, I've been acting like an ass and you've been…well, you've been working yourself into some kind of funk because of me. Tell you what, I'll stop acting like an ass and you get yourself outta that funk, okay? Don't make me have to slap you upside the head again, okay?"

"Okay. But next time, don't use as much umph, I kinda got a headache from that."

David grinned. "Then don't be such a dumb ass next time."

"Right - next time I _listen_ to my inner voice, tell you to take your Lone Ranger Attitude and shove it and cover your rear-end so damn close people will swear we're Siamese twins."

That got a nod from David. "And if that doesn't work, remind me of the fun I had the last time I ignored you."

"Roger that." There was another rap on the doorframe and in walked a doctor. "Hey, the doctor's here, may be your lucky day." He said.

"Don't be so sure." The man said as he stepped into the room. "Doctor Tony Scardino. I'm just guessing here, but Agent Sinclair is the one in the bed and you're" He pointed at Colby, "probably the FBI Agent who, according to the nurse's notes, claimed to be his brother?"

Colby stood up and held out his hand. "Agent Colby Granger and yes, Agent Sinclair is my brother."

"Uh-huh. Pull the other leg, Agent Granger." Scardino said as he shook Colby's hand before turning back to Sinclair. "Okay, good news-bad news time. Which do you want first?"

"Take the bad news first, David." Colby offered. "Get it out of the way."

David nodded. "You hear my bro, give me the bad news first, Doc."

"Okay, you have a pretty hefty and robust version of bacterial pneumonia happening in your lungs."

"Told ya." Colby said.

"Great. And the good news?"

Dr. Scardino chuckled. "The good news is if, big damn if by the way, IF your body responds to the antibiotics like I hope it will, I MIGHT be able to spring you from that bed and send you home tomorrow morning."

"Really? Okay, I'll convince my body to behave."

Colby snorted. "This I'd love to see."

"Power of positive thinking, Bro. You watch. I'll be outta here tomorrow morning, hell, tonight, bet me?"

"Agent Sinclair, don't get too carried away. You'll be lucky if you get out of here tomorrow." Dr. Scardino said.

Colby gave the doctor a look, then looked back at David. "Bet you $10 you won't."

"You're on." David held out a hand and the two men shook on the agreement. "Easy damn bet. I will be discharged tomorrow morning, you just lost ten buckaroos."

"Yeah? We'll see." Colby told him.

"All right, Agent Sinclair, now that I've ruined your day, I'll be on my way. And, please if you started feeling worse, please, please, please, let one of the nurses know, okay?"

"You gotta it, Doc."

"Thank you." Dr. Scardino turned and left the room.

"I'll be right back, David." Colby said, following the doctor. "Doc? You really think he's got a chance to go home tomorrow morning?" He asked.

"A slight chance. I'll have some lab work pulled around 6, 6:30 tomorrow morning so I can see how he's doing when I come back by for rounds around seven. I'll also check on him this afternoon too."

Colby nodded. "Thank you. You're going to see me again today so don't be surprised."

"I won't be. Have a good day at work, Agent." Scardino make a final notation in Sinclair's file, ordering the lab work to be done, before pulling up another patient file and heading to another patient's room.

Colby came back in the room and dropped into the chair he had been sitting in.

"So, what'd he say?" David asked.

"He was calculating how long it would take to get you out of here before you scare everyone away." Colby said.

"Funny guy."

"He said the exact same thing in hall, that he had said in here." Colby replied. Before he could add anything, his cell phone beeped. He frowned, took out the phone and looked at the screen. With a sigh, he flipped the phone close and stood up. "Gotta go. I set the alarm on my cell so I wouldn't be late to work." His glance landed on the travel chess set. "Maybe when I come back, I'll kick your ass in chess. Who brought the set?"

"Charlie and I'll be waiting for you." David replied.

They clasped hands and Colby was out the door, hoping the traffic would be lighter than normal.

**********************

David lost the bet. The bacterial pneumonia he had contracted, refused to let go, keeping him in the hospital another two days. He didn't lack for visitors though. Everyone made the two hour round trip to see him. Still, David was more than ready to leave by the time Dr. Scardino signed the discharge orders on the morning of the fifth day.

"Knock, knock. I hear there's a Fed needing a ride back to L.A."

The familiar voice made David turn from the window of his hospital room. "Megan? So, you got the short straw?"

"Yeah." Megan snapped her fingers. "Darn my luck. No, but really, Don doesn't trust you and Colby to stay out of trouble between here and L.A." She grinned. "Honestly? Colby's in court and Don is in some meeting for SSA's. That means you're stuck with me."

David grinned in response. "Somehow, I think I'll live, especially since Colby's not driving."

"You know, I'm going to have to tell him you said that."

"Go right ahead." He looked past her and out into the hall. "You don't happen to see anyone coming this way with some paperwork, do you?"

Megan looked out into the hallway and shook her head. "Listen, I'm going to go get the car and wait for you downstairs."

David sighed. "Okay, but if I'm not down in ten minutes…"

"I will come back up and free you from their clutches." Megan replied.

~*~

Megan let David brood for close to twenty minutes in the car on the way back to L.A. before saying " So, you and Colby work everything out?"

David looked at Megan, schooling his face into one of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Megan quirked an eyebrow but waited until she had passed a slower car before answering. "What do you _think_ I'm talking about?"

David hunched his shoulders but did not respond.

"You know, we've all got our ways of not answering a question we don't like." Megan said, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Yeah, so?"

"You hunch your shoulders."

Instantly David straightened. "We're good." He said.

Megan nodded. "That means you're going to stop treating him like he's radioactive?" She pulled the Charger around a slower moving Buick.

David opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and closed his mouth, nodding instead.

"Good. I'd hate to see either of you transfer to another office because you two couldn't get along."

David cocked his head to one side, watching Megan drive for a few moments. "Just how long have you been thinking about this?"

She shot him a quick glance. "This morning."

He nodded. "You'd miss me if I transferred?"

"Absolutely." She said, without hesitation.

He nodded and the conversation ended.

A couple of days later, Megan watched from the break room as Colby came up to David's desk and said something, David grinning in response.

"Am I going to have to sign any transfer papers?" Don asked, walking up to Megan.

She shook her head. "No."

"Excellent. I'd hate to have to break in a newbie. I've gotten all of you trained just the way I like." Don grinned.

Megan kept her comments to herself, save for rolling her eyes.


End file.
